Captive in Plain Sight

Patruzecisidoi || Détente

As soon as he heard his brother's voice, he knew it was over.

He'd been burned.

Victor had not seen his little brother in over four years, and he looked different than he remembered. His presence was more commanding now, and his eyes had a wildness that wasn't there before. Silviu had always been the gentler of the two, but that may have changed.

"Sloppy work, brother," he said. "Private investigators and ex-girlfriends on your tail? The Victor I know wouldn't allow them past the driveway. But then again, you aren't Victor, are you, Alec?"

He was playing with him. In usual circumstances he would enjoy exchanging jabs, but he was more concerned about saying the incorrect thing. He didn't know this version of Silviu, or what happened to him during his absence. He knew personally how torture could change a person.

"No response?" Silviu said. "I guess, she always did make you stupid."

Mila was understandably confused by his comments. Of course, she didn't remember Silviu, or their tumultuous history.

"I mean, really brother?" said Silviu. "You protected her and left your own blood to die in the hands of our enemies."

Victor's fight or flight kicked in as he comprehended how angry Silviu was. If he didn't keep him distracted, the conversation could end with less-than-ideal results.

He spoke calmly.

"I didn't just leave you. I've been working to save us both. All of us, actually."

But Silviu wasn't hearing it, and he got the impression his calmness upset him more than anything. Worse than talking to a wall.

"You look like dad," he said, thinking that maybe if he spoke to him like a sibling, it would ease some of the tension.

Silviu laughed, and for a moment Victor thought it worked.

"Dad was never bad-looking," he replied, "But at least I got his looks instead of his personality."

Nope. Silviu was choosing violence.

"We both know this is why I had to leave," he said. "It was the only way."

"What about me?" Silviu said, more quietly. "You were supposed to protect us, and you left me alone."

Nothing he could say was going to make his brother forgive him within the next few minutes. They were at an impasse, and Victor felt his stomach turn.

He realized the only reason Silviu would be displaying this much emotion was because he didn't think he'd get the opportunity later.

"None of this matters anyway, I guess," said Silviu. "I don't know what I was trying to accomplish. Might as well stop wasting time. Some people have been wanting to have a chat with you."

The Partners.

They were all stuffed into a vehicle and chaperoned back to the house. Once they were moving again, everything felt like a fever dream. Most likely an after effect from the explosion.

He always thought the worst part about dying would be the moments before, when you knew it's coming. Or maybe a kind of peace or tranquility. He felt none of that.

He wasn't ready for it to end yet.

He was going to fight, but in case he failed he was also ready to accept whatever justice demanded of him.

When they walked him into the living room, Olga was on her knees with her hands tied behind her back. Mila and Raul were pushed down and situated next to her.